2005 mercury 40hp 4 stroke EFI drive handle stuck.

i have a 2005 mercury 40hp 4 stroke EFI, i bought it used from an old guy but he only had about 10hrs in the water. the boat was still like new. i went fishing with the boat 4 times befor this happens. I was cleaning my boat after i got back home from fishing, and i was checking to make sure everything is cleaned and ready for my next fishing trip. i pushed the drive handle forward while the engine was off, then i pulled it back to revers but its stuck and stayed in forward, i tried to pull it back to nuetral but it woudlnt budge. first i thought i needed the key to be able to put it back to neutral and revers, but it wasnt the problem. the cables worked fine when i was in the water earlier that day. i opened the engine top cover and took a look at the throttle and revers controlls but i dont realy know much about it. i would appreciate any help thinks.